Rangers forward Brett Berard ‘super excited’ to make NHL debut against Blues
After he was recalled by the New York Rangers on Sunday, forward Brett Berard will make his NHL debut on Monday night against the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden.
The 22-year-old leads the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League with seven goals, two power-play goals, and 13 points in 16 games. He will look to bring his speed, offense and non-stop motor to New York’s lineup, playing on the revamped second line with Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle.
“I don’t even know if there are words to describe it,” Berard explained ahead of his NHL debut. “It was a pretty surreal feeling having [Hartford general manager Ryan Martin] call me yesterday and tell me that I was in the lineup tonight. I’m super excited, I’m happy family and friends are able to come. Just try to go out there and take it all in is kind of all I’m trying to do.”
The recall comes at a time when the Rangers need a spark. Chris Kreider is out of the lineup with an upper-body injury and the Rangers have lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Berard picked up right where he left off last season, when he led Hartford with 25 goals as a rookie pro. Berard also plays in all situations, making him a smart choice to replace Kreider. In fact, Berard is slated to play on the second power-play unit with Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko, Reilly Smith and Zac Jones.
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Brett Berard brings ‘speed, tenacity, some offense’ to Rangers lineup
Brett Berard – photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Berard was among the last players to get cut during this season’s training camp, hanging around until the very end. This was a good indication that he would likely be an early call up, should the Rangers run into injury trouble or be in need of a wakeup call. In this situation, it could be a little bit of both.
“He’s played really well down there, he had a great camp,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Monday. “He brings speed, tenacity, some offense. He’s had a good start to his career last year and then has followed it up this year. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
Perhaps Berard’s speed and tenacity is exactly what the Rangers are searching for, especially after their rough showing in Edmonton on Saturday night, a 6-2 loss to the Oilers that wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 2-2-0 record.
“We’ve got to play a faster game,” Laviolette continued. “Some of it’s the way we play the game, some of it’s our engine. We’ve got to kick up gears. We were not as fast as Edmonton was the other night.”
There’s no denying that the Rangers have struggled for the better part of a month. After two solid wins against the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks to start their road trip, they were not good in losses to Calgary Flames and Oilers. They were heavily out-shot early in both games, lacked urgency, and gave up far too many goals on the rush.
For Berard, his main objective will be to play with the same speed, intensity, and confidence that has made him so successful in the AHL to start his career.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just to stay confident,” he said. “I think down in Hartford I was just trying to get up here, so trying to just bring what I’ve learned down there so far this year up here and just play my game. It’s the same game I’ve played since I was three years old, just a bigger stage. You’re in New York City, it’s the best place to play, so I’m super excited to just try to play my best.”
Berard will be making his Rangers debut against the Blues, who might have some extra jump playing their first game under newly-named head coach Jim Montgomery. The Blues are currently ranked 25th in the League, and will be looking to turn their season around, starting against the Rangers.
“I’m so fortunate to be close to home and (my family) are able to make the drive down, it’s not too far,” Berard added. “It should be a fun night for all of us. Looking forward to it.”
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